The Counterfeit people

By Denver Razza

“How was that?” Tanya asks. The two girls are sitting in the hallway next to the theatre. 

“Amazing,” Olive replies. “If you don’t get Elphaba, I don’t know who will!” 

“You know, you weren’t half bad either! Maybe you could be the Glinda to my Elphaba.” Tanya smirks. 

“Dream. Come. True!” Olive jumps up and down. They laugh and start to walk down the hallway. “Do you know when the callbacks list is going to be posted?” Olive asks. “I’m really scared!” Tanya nods at Olive. 

“Pretty sure it’s Sunday, the latest Monday.” 

“I was thinking, to celebrate our amazing auditions, we should have a sleepover.” 

“Of course!” Olive laughs. “That would be so fun! Let me text my dad.” She pulls out her flip phone to text her dad. Staying at Tanya’s. C u tmrw. Sent. Sounds good, have fun! He texts back. “We’re all set!” Olive squeals. 

“Great!” Tanya smiles. The two girls walk into the check out room and out the back doors. They approach the crosswalk, and cross. Tanya’s older sister Jasmine is there to pick them up. 

“Get in, theatre kids.” Jasmine laughs. Tanya sits in shotgun and Olive sits in the back. Tanya reaches to the radio and turns it up. 

When all else fails and you long to be

Something better than you are today

I know a place where you can get away

It’s called a dance floor, and here’s what it’s for, so

“COME ON, VOGUE, LET YOUR BODY MOVE TO THE MUSIC!” Tanya and Olive screech. 

“Sing somewhere else.” Jasmine rolls her eyes. Tanya ignores her and keeps singing, but Olive goes silent. 

“What, you’re not going to be my backup singer Olive?” Tanya turns around to look at her in the backseat. 

“I just don’t want to make Jasmine mad.” Olive whispers. 

“Who are you not trying to make mad?” Jasmine turns around. 

“Uh,” Olive stutters. “I just, you know, I-” 

“JASMINE LOOK OUT!” Tanya yells. Jasmine whips her head around to look at Tanya, but it’s too late. The airbags inflate, knocking Tanya and Jasmine unconscious. Olive’s eyes are squeezed tight, crying and crying. When Olive opens her eyes, Tanya and Jasmine are looking over at her. 

“Are you alright?” Jasmine asks, concerned. 

“Yeah, are you?” Tanya follows. 

“Y-yeah.” Olive says, embarrassed. “Day-mare, I guess.” Jasmine continues driving, and soon enough, they are at Jasmine and Tanya’s RV. 

“Home sweet RV park.” Jasmine sighs contentedly. Olive nods her head, still trying to get the image of Tanya and Jasmine unconscious out of her head. Jasmine takes out the key to the door. “Want to practice opening the door for when I get you your own key?” Jasmine asks Tanya. 

“I know how.” Tanya rolls her eyes, but takes the key anyway. Once Tanya opens the door, a foul smell of something burning wafts out. 

“My mac and cheese!” Jasmine bursts through the door and skids to the tiny kitchen. Olive and Tanya run after her to see the mess. 

“Cool, it looks like a volcano!” Tanya laughs. “Is this a science experiment?” Jasmine gives Tanya an annoyed stare and then leaves to grab some towels to clean up. 

“That wasn’t too nice.” Olive mumbles. “I bet she spent time on it.” Tanya rolls her eyes at Olive. 

“Why are you so scared of her? She’s only 6 years older than us.” Tanya asks and starts walking toward her room, and Olive runs to catch up with her. 

“I dunno. But that is a lot older.” Olive says. 

“I have something better to do than worry though,” Tanya smiles and kneels down to dig under her bed. 

“What is it?” Olive asks in anticipation. 

“A ouija board.” Tanya smiles evilly. 

“I dunno, I don’t think that’s really a good idea..” Olive shivers. 

“Oh quit being a baby,” Tanya says, annoyed. “Ever since we almost hit that deer earlier, you’ve been acting weird.” Olive sighs. She WAS being a baby. 

“Alright. How does it work?” Tanya turns over the box and reads the instructions aloud. 

“1. Always have 2 or more people, “ 

“Check.” Olive says. 

“Use the ouija board at night.” 

“Check.” 

“Darken the room and light candles.” 

“We can make that happen.” Olive says. 

“Use it while sitting down.” 

“We already are!” Olive laughs. 

“Decide on a questioner.” 

“You can do it.” Olive sighs. “I’m too scared.” 

“Place your fingers on the planchette and move it around to get warmed up.” 

“That’s kind of strange..” Olive shivers. 

“Make sure to have a good attitude. You wouldn’t want a malevolent spirit in your house.” 

“That’s oddly specific.” Olive is starting to get even more creeped out. 

“Be polite and don’t ask stupid questions. The board doesn’t always tell the truth.” 

“I’m not sure I want to do this.” Olive has moved up to Tanya’s bed and is holding onto a pillow. 

“Last three, I promise.” Tanya laughs.
“Alright, fine.” Olive sighs, still shivering. 

“Don’t ask for physical signs, don’t believe everything the board tells you and close the board when done.” Tanya finishes. Olive is shivering so hard that the bed shakes. “You are so gullible!” Tanya laughs. “This stuff is so fake.” 

“Dinner!” Jasmine calls, interrupting Tanya. 

“Coming!” Tanya closes the board and puts it back under the bed. 

“What were you guys doing?” Jasmine asks while putting out the plates of burnt mac and cheese. 

“We were reading the instructions of-” Olive starts, but stops when Tanya nudges her in the ribs. “Ow! What wa-” 

“The new lego thing Olive was making! She was a bit confused so she brought the instructions to school but didn’t have enough time to show me, blah blah blah.” Tanya finishes the sentence quickly. 

“What are you doing?” Olive whispers to Tanya.

“When mom lived with us, she believed in tons of supernatural stuff and always warned us against us, and once she left, Jasmine started doing the same to me.” Tanya hisses. 

“I’m not actually that hungry.” They all speak at the same time. 

“Alright, we’ll have it for breakfast tomorrow.” Jasmine picks up the plates and starts to put the food away into containers. As Tanya and Olive start walking back to her room, Tanya snags some candles from the cabinet. 

“We’re going to need these.” Tanya holds them up as soon as Olive closes the door. Olive dims the lights and Tanya lights the candles in a circle. The two of them sit down across from each other in the center of it. 

“Are you sure we should do this, cause I’m not s-” Olive starts.
“It’s fine! It’s baloney, the supernatural.” Tanya grabs the board and sets it out. She places her fingers on the planchette, but Olive still isn’t sure. “Hurry up already!” Tanya says, obviously annoyed. 

“Alright!” Olive sighs. “Don’t rush me.” She places her fingers on the planchette across from Tanya’s. “What now?” Olive whispers. 

“Shh!” Tanya makes a “be quiet” motion with her head. “I’m thinking of a question.” The planchette starts to move. 

“We haven’t even asked it a question yet!” Olive whisper-yells. “Shhh!” Tanya says again. “Watch it.” 

The planchette moves from A to R to E. 

“Are?” Olive asks. “This is stupid, stop messing with me!” “I’m not moving it. Are you?” Tanya’s eyes are glued to the board. 

From Y to O to U.

“You.” Tanya repeats aloud. “Are you.” 

“QUIT MESSING WITH ME!” Olive shouts. 

From T to H to E to R to E.

“Are you there.” Tanya reads. “Are you there? What the-” 

1. U. E. S. S.  I. T.  D. O. E. S. N. T.  W. O. R. K. The board reads. 

“Isn’t the planchette only supposed to move if we ask it questions?” Olive asks, confused and scared. 

“Yeah…” Tanya says, trying to hide it, but she is obviously scared too.

1. U. S. T.  G. I. V. E.  I.T.  A. N. O. T. H. E. R.  C. H. A. N. C. E. The board reads. 
2. I. N. E.  I. D. O.  T. H. E.  Q. U. E. S. T. I. O. N. I. N. G.  T. H. I. S.  T. I. M. E. 

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?” Olive cries out. 

1. R. E.  T. H. E. R. E.  A. N. Y.  S. P. I. R. I. T. S.  H. E. R. E. The planchette is moving around like crazy, trying to get all the letters in. When Olive goes to move the planchette to No, it moves to Yes. Olive looks up at Tanya to ask why she moved it, she gasps in horror. Before her she sees the vision of herself going unconscious along with Tanya and Jasmine, being rushed to the hospital and laying in a hospital bed. She flatlines and sees her dad crying. Olive shuts her eyes tight and waves her head around like crazy to try and get these images out of her head. When she opens her eyes again, she sees Tanya, but not Tanya. This Tanya is paler, with eye bags and most terrifyingly, glass shards all over her body. 

“W-What?” Olive stutters, terrified. 

“Don’t you get it Olive?” Tanya asks, sadly. “It’s not us communicating to spirits.” 

“What do you mean?” Olive starts to cry, knowing full well what she means. Tanya sighs, starting to cry too.

“They’re the ones communicating to us. We’re the spirits, Olive.”

The End